Life Is Calling

Recording Date: July, 2006
Recording Location: Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC
Musicians: Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals

Recorded at the Swannanoa Gathering--an annual series of workshops--during Contemporary Folk Week.  The song was written in October 2004 after a series of life-changing events had opened up new possibilities for the future.  So far I have yet to record a studio version, though a band version was performed with Unfrozen Cavemen.

Maya

Recording Date: July, 2005
Recording Location: Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC
Musicians: Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals

Recorded at the Swannanoa Gathering--an annual series of workshops--during Contemporary Folk Week.  The song was written in December 2001 during a period of change and turmoil.  A journal entry at the time records, "It's a bit Pearl Jam-ish,  but has other elements.  More lyrics about disconnectedness."  A studio version first appeared on my New Heart album in 2002.

Around the Block

Recording Date: June 14, 2003
Recording Location: Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Gray, TN
Musicians: Unfrozen Cavemen (Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals, Joe Arrington - Mandolin, Vocals, John Franjione - Bass)

Recorded for a Saturday night coffeehouse.  I started writing the song on November 30, 1997 and had finished it by December 3.  It was inspired by a brief and strange but electric encounter with a woman at work.  A journal entry records, "It's pretty much about the last few weeks, my mental state, my bodily state...and more than anything, about (and to) Kristine, and how I let opportunity slip through my fingers.  The song has an air of reflection, but there is a lot of hope in the lyrics..."  A studio version first appeared on my Machine Dream album in 1999.

Paper Airplanes

Recording Date: June 14, 2003
Recording Location: Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Gray, TN
Musicians: Unfrozen Cavemen (Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals, Joe Arrington - Guitar, Vocals, John Franjione - Bass)

Recorded for a Saturday night coffeehouse.  The song was written on December 8, 2000, after watching "The Last Days of John Lennon" on VH-1.  My memory is that I wrote it in sections, with each section coming in a flash of inspiration; all I had to do then was figure out how to piece everything together.  A studio version first appeared on my New Heart album in 2002.

Pariah

Recording Date: June 14, 2003
Recording Location: Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Gray, TN
Musicians: Unfrozen Cavemen (Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals, Joe Arrington - Guitar, Vocals, John Franjione - Bass)

Recorded for a Saturday night coffeehouse.  The song was written on August 13, 2001; a journal entry records, "...might be called 'In His Image' or 'Afraid of Knowing Where I Belong'.  A studio version first appeared on my New Heart album in 2002.

New Heart

Recording Date: June 14, 2003
Recording Location: Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Gray, TN
Musicians: Unfrozen Cavemen (Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals, Joe Arrington - Guitar, Vocals, John Franjione - Bass, Vocals)

Recorded for a Saturday night coffeehouse.  I'm not really sure when this song was written, but I suspect sometime in 2000.  A studio version first appeared on my New Heart album in 2002.

Flying to the Moon

Recording Date: August 20, 1997
Recording Location: The Down Home, Johnson City, TN
Musicians: Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals

Recorded at the Wednesday night Open Hoot.  The song was written on January 8, 1997.  According to a journal entry that day, "While perusing the Twisted Tunes homepage...I picked up my guitar and wrote a song.  It was almost that easy.  I'll bet I had the song pretty much done in twenty minutes."  A studio version first appeared on my Machine Dream album in 1999.

Blue Turns Brown

Recording Date: August 20, 1997
Recording Location: The Down Home, Johnson City, TN
Musicians: Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals

Recorded at the Wednesday night Open Hoot.  I started writing it on February 26, 1996, and finished it the next night.   A journal entry records, "It is now called "Blue Turns Brown" and seems to be rather spooky and mildly depressing."  A studio version first appeared on my There and Back Again album in 1996.

Morning Paper

Recording Date: August 20, 1997
Recording Location: The Down Home, Johnson City, TN
Musicians: Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals

Recorded at the Wednesday night Open Hoot.  I believe the song was written sometime in 1993; I remember showing the lyrics to my Culture Shock comrades Will Henson and Jared Bentley.  It didn't seem to be suitable for that band, though, so I recorded it for my Why Not? album in 1994.

Throughout Time

Recording Date: April 23, 1993
Recording Location: The Tavern, Abingdon, VA
Musicians: Culture Shock (Brian Hearl - Guitar, Vocals; Will Henson - Guitar; Jared Bentley - Tambourine, Wade Crounse, Bass; Taylor Burgess, Drums)

Recorded during one of our many weekend gigs at the Tavern.  I think I wrote the song sometime in 1990, probably working on the lyrics during some class or other at college.  A studio version first appeared on my debut album, Anti-Gravity, in 1990.